17 hours ago
Michigan lawmakers, officials react to passage of federal spending bill
The U.S. Senate narrowly passed President Trump's massive tax and spending bill Tuesday, with a tie ultimately broken by Vice President JD Vance.
The bill that was referred to by Republicans as the "Big, Beautiful Bill" now goes back to the House for a final vote and then to the president's desk, possibly by the end of this week.
All Senate Democrats voted against the bill, including Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin.
Here are some of the reactions and statements issued by Michigan officials and organizations as the vote was announced.
U.S. Senator Gary Peters, D-Michigan
"Democrats did everything in our power to stop this legislation, but President Trump and Republicans in Congress are dead set on selling out hardworking Michiganders so they can pay for a massive tax cut for billionaires. This bill is reckless, irresponsible, and an unconscionable betrayal of American families. I voted no," Sen. Gary Peters said.
U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan
"After more than 25 hours on the Senate floor, I voted no on the so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' No matter which way you slice it – health care, energy, housing – the President just rammed through a bill that will make Michiganders pay in every part of their lives. All so the wealthiest among us can get a tax break," Sen. Elissa Slotkin said.
Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party
"Millions of Michiganders will see their costs go up thanks to Republicans in DC choosing to help billionaires over working families. Republicans are trying to gut Medicaid and SNAP programs and put thousands of jobs, and even more lives, at risk as hospitals are forced to close and families lose coverage," Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel said. "This budget is not just cruel, it's stupid and a financial disaster for our state and the whole country."
Charlesetta Wilson, director of nursing homes at SEIU Healthcare Michigan
"This legislation is a direct attack on the health and dignity of Michigan's working families. It would rip more than a trillion dollars from Medicaid and other essential programs our communities rely on just to fund more tax breaks for billionaires. ... We're calling on Michigan's U.S. House delegation to vote no," Charlesetta Wilson, director of nursing homes at SEIU Healthcare Michigan, said.
Michigan League for Public Policy
"The shock of this bill is hard to overstate. Republican leaders just voted to spend trillions of dollars to increase poverty and hunger, to strip away health coverage, and to create the biggest redistribution of wealth from poor to rich in U.S. history. Much of the bill — including billions of dollars to be spent on a 'mass deportation plan' that could upend our nation's immigration system — lacks specificity and gives full discretion to the Trump administration, not Congress. And this shortsighted, harmful bill also adds $2.4 trillion to the nation's deficit. It's just staggering," read a statement from the Michigan League for Public Policy.
